1. Field of the Invention
Nowadays, merchandise securing devices are frequently already attached to the merchandise to be marked during its production, so that these merchandise securing devices remain on the merchandise for a long time, for example even during the entire logistics chain from production to the sales location. For this reason, it is of great importance, because of this long period of attachment of the merchandise securing device to the merchandise, that the merchandise securing devices do not stress the goods mechanically, or not to an impermissible degree, and lead to dents, folds, or other stresses, or even damage to the merchandise.
2. The Prior Art
The merchandise securing devices used nowadays are frequently attached to the merchandise by means of so-called ball closures, in which a needle-like attachment element is inserted into a holder element equipped with clamping elements, for example in the form of balls, and fixed in place with force fit by means of the clamping elements. In this connection, the needle-like attachment element is typically inserted through openings in the merchandise, and is equipped with a wide head for securing the attachment element to the merchandise. Such holder elements are generally configured to be projecting and round, and sit on a housing of the merchandise securing device, on the outside, in such a manner that the holder element is easily accessible for fixation on the merchandise.
It is a disadvantage of this configuration of the merchandise securing devices that in the case of textile goods, in particular, but also in the case of a plurality of other merchandise, great mechanical stress and deformation of the merchandise occurs in the region in which the ball closure lies against the merchandise, because of the arrangement of the ball closure and the housing configuration of the merchandise securing device. Deformation and damage to the merchandise around the projecting ball closure occurs, again and again, as the result of the effect of gravity on hanging merchandise, for example, or pressure stress on merchandise that lies packed; this can lead to the result that the merchandise can only be sold by granting a suitable discount, or cannot be sold at all any more.
Since very different merchandise securing systems using different detection technologies are used in different stores, it is frequently problematic for the manufacturer of the merchandise to be secured to assure merchandise securing devices using the required technology, in each instance, for the related merchandise, during so-called source securing, since a plurality of different merchandise securing devices must therefore be used in parallel, and assigned to the appropriate merchandise, in each instance. This results in high costs and logistical problems in the case of source securing.
It is therefore the task of the present invention to further develop a merchandise securing device of the type stated, in such a manner that in particular, the impairments of or damage to the merchandise as described above can no longer occur, i.e. are reduced to a degree that cannot be avoided, and that the merchandise securing devices can be used as universally as possible.